Cool and Calm
by The Cosmic Penguin
Summary: While traversing level 4-3 of Kirby's Return to Dream Land, the quartet of heroes is thrown into disarray...but perhaps a partial disaster can piece their bonds back together... (No knowledge of 'Return' is needed to understand the story.) [Being edited]
1. A Play on Ice

A/N: About two days ago I was playing through level 4-3 in Kirby's Return to Dreamland and died twice/thrice in this room because of the puzzle's timing (hint: Cutter Boomerang, INSTANT KILL). Then this story idea popped into my head in between deaths. If you haven't played 'Return', you'll still get this (although you might not be as familiar with Bandana Dee and the group psychology), but for those of you who HAVE, this will just bring back happy memories.

_2/22: I __**finally**__ got around to fixing this (part of it, at least). The plot is still the same as the first time I wrote this, but I hadn't written in over a year when I created this, so there were some things that I thought I'd fix. What was that? Well, let's just say that it's really bad when you set up a scene solely because you enjoy writing that sort of thing…and then you rush it like you have five minutes to write it down before you die…and a whole bunch of other things._

_I may very well include a bonus chapter for the summer as well…if I remember…_

* * *

><p>"It's cold," Dedede whined as the foursome trotted through the icy underground cavern. Bandana Dee nodded in agreement, but didn't say anything.<p>

It only took four seconds before the king was unsatisfied with no answer. "Why can't we ask some of the locals for some soup or something _warm_?"

"We'll do that later," Kirby assured him tiredly. The pink puffball wished he could dish out some comfort. He really did. But he hadn't eaten in hours, Dedede had woken him up last night and he had NEVER gotten back to sleep, he was really low on HP, and _dang the cold wasn't helping that any;_ he didn't have anything to protect him but he'd developed a bit pride over the years and he wasn't going to ask Dedede to let him huddle in his coat.

Okay, that wasn't because of his pride. That was because he knew Dedede wouldn't let a soaking wet puffball snuggle in his robe unless it was an emergency. Maybe. Which reminded him, he was still a little irritated about Dedede eating that chocolate in front of him an hour ago…

"Yeah, like he said," Meta Knight added. "We're kinda in the middle of an icy cavern, here. I don't think that there ARE any locals around; just standard monsters. _Where the heck do they come from_ _anyway_…and why are they—"

"You, unlike ME, Kirby, also have a fire power-up. What do you say to that?" Dedede cut in.

"That you, unlike ME, Dedede, are wearing a robe with a jumpsuit on underneath it. I don't _have_ any other clothes," Kirby countered, trying to focus on the icy terrain in front of him so that he didn't slip and fall down a gap into the pouring, probably freezing, water.

Bandana Dee, who was wearing a scarf and his bandana, kept moving despite his lack of boots. Bandana Dee was simply tired of listening to his king bicker with Kirby. He didn't care that teasing was just something that Dedede felt was _necessary_; he was just frustrated with having to put up with his arguments solely to 'prove that he was better than Kirby.'

Dedede, unfortunately, was not about to give up. "Well, you, un—"

"Could you two please cut it out?!" Bandana Dee shouted, mainly at Dedede. "We're looking for Energy Spheres and Ship Parts, not a free meal! Have you two no dignity? Does it really take an interest in something technical to gain sanity?!"

Both Dedede and Kirby looked away in embarrassment, but the puffball could hear his rival snickering, which instilled mixed feelings in him. True, Bandana Dee kept the group together, but he didn't get angry like this unless it was something really wrong. His patience was a little shorter than Meta Knight's, but it was definitely better than Dedede's despite the Dee's occasional sarcastic comments. He rarely spoke badly of Kirby, simply because the puffball had such a happy-go-lucky demeanor that you couldn't really stay mad at him for long. This, unknown to the others, made Kirby feel bad. Dedede was the one starting the argument, not him! Why was Bandana Dee angry at _him_? As if it already wasn't hard enough to anger Bandana Dee for no reason, it wasn't enough that he could exclude Kirby from the blame, either; no, it was his fault too! It wasn't fair, especially when he was tired like this.

Kirby sighed, though the small cloud of steam from his breath was the only giveaway. _It's okay. Just keep going. Don't get angry at them; don't say anything; just keep…going…_

Bandana Dee rolled his eyes, oblivious to Kirby's unhappiness, and instead turned to Meta Knight to see his reaction. Much to his half-surprise, Meta Knight kept walking, appearing to be oblivious to the argument. While Bandana Dee would normally have assumed that he was just ignoring the argument and was just thinking of what to say, this was…different. For some reason, the blue puffball had been distracted since they'd entered this world. He was still as alert as he'd always been, if not more, but he seemed more interested in the surroundings and snow than the mission. Dedede and Bandana Dee had thought this was a bit strange (and had both been caught staring at him quite frequently), but Kirby had been quite accepting of it despite the abnormality it presented. Maybe he knew what was causing it, maybe he didn't. Either way, he didn't feel like leading a discussion on it, especially in his current condition.

The partially-organized quartet kept trekking through the cave in much-needed silence, with Kirby at the lead and the others following behind. None of them complained about Kirby getting the most fighting time, simply because there weren't many enemies around. _Kirby_ would have complained about getting the most fighting time, but if he did so, the others might not have been as likely to let him fight when he was feeling better-rested. Normally Kirby took pride in leading and fighting like this, but now he just felt dragged down by group effort. He felt bad about that; he loved having his friends around, but…maybe he was just looking at it the wrong way.

At this point, everyone's feet were freezing. The group continued on their way for quite a while until they reached a point where the only way to cross to the other side was either over a swirling, freezing mass of water that had run into a crater-filled hole, or through the waterfalls that poured into this hole. Now, any normal person would have just swam along the edge of the miniature lake, but since Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede could float and Bandana Dee had an anti-gravity device he had borrowed from Meta Knight, they jumped right into the waterfalls, disregarding the fact that most people would think they were insane.

They knew they were, but there were no locals around, so it didn't really matter.

The going was pretty good, but Kirby was having a bit of trouble with the swimming which was doing more than irritating him a little. After a few minutes of traversing the waterfalls, he started pondering whether or not he should voice his complaints. On the one hand, he didn't want to slow anyone down…but on the other hand, he was really struggling and wanted a little help.

"Guys, I'm having some trouble here!" He wasn't sure whether they could hear him, so he thrashed out of the waterfall and continued shouting. "Hello? I don't have any arms!"

"Excuse me, look at ME," Bandana Dee snapped. "I don't have any arms either, and I'm FREEZING."

Dedede looked a bit sympathetic, but that flash of sympathy quickly vanished into what Kirby figured was a figment of his imagination. He looked to Meta Knight for some relief, but the blue puffball had taken the lead for him despite still being lost in the 'winter wonderland' of a cave they were in.

_Yeah, I'm just too weak to do it myself. Meta Knight has to take the lead, and nobody wants to help. Well, Bandana Dee doesn't want to help, and who am I to expect Dedede to step off his royal throne to help a commoner?_

He knew that was wrong. He knew his friends _would _help him…but he just didn't feel like pressing the issue. Honestly, it was easier to sulk at this point and just hope for some food or something. He'd have more than enough time to apologize when they were all well-fed and warm…

The waterfalls thinned out to an open area where a mostly-intact ice platform was. The band of adventurers jumped onto it, glad for a rest. They all sat down and propped their swim goggles on top of their heads (or, in the case of Kirby and Meta Knight, ate them while the other two weren't looking) for a nice break, even though their bottoms would probably be frozen to the platform by the time they got up. After a little while of just sitting doing nothing, Kirby decided to wander over to the edge of the platform. He stared down into the water, wondering about things like how long the cave was, or what Meta Knight would say when he finally realized how weird it was that he'd been staring off into the cavern looking for some nonexistent puzzle, or _when_ _Dedede and Bandana Dee would stop bickering in the background after they'd just told him to shut up_—

"Kirby?"

The pink puffball glanced to the side to see Meta Knight sitting down next to him, and couldn't help but inwardly sigh. "Hi Meta Knight..."

"_What's wrong?"_ Meta Knight asked, hoping that speaking in their native language would make Kirby feel a little better. He didn't know what was wrong, so it seemed like the best choice.

"_Oh, nothing. Listen, could you just leave me alone? It would really help."_

"_You aren't being possessed by Dark Matter or something, are you?" _Meta Knight started glancing him over, as if he was searching for any evidence to prove or disprove the statement. _"Even if you just feel weird, you could tell me…"_

Kirby's eyes flickered red in anger. _"I'm fine, okay? I'm not being possessed or anything; I'm just tired. Okay? You can go now."_

Why didn't Meta Knight understand that he just wanted to be left alone? Sure, Kirby stayed to bug Meta Knight if he didn't want to talk about things, but that was just because _everything_ had to be a mystery with the blue puffball and Kirby wasn't like that. (Or at least, he _hoped_ he wasn't like that.) This was kinda annoying, but he didn't want to—

"_You do realize that's probably the most suspicious thing that you'd ever say—"_

"_STOP it!" _Kirby shouted, giving his friend a shove…toward the water. He'd hoped it was just enough to get his message across that he wanted to be alone, but Kirby had underestimated his strength and knocked Meta Knight into the water with a loud splash. The pink puffball stared down at the water in realization, already starting to feel regret for his actions. He sighed.

_I'm WAY too nice about feeling bad for people…oh well, I guess an apology is in order anyways…if something doesn't happen first…_

* * *

><p>Meta Knight, however, had decided to take Kirby's advice instead, which would be 'leaving him alone'. He was already a bit cautious about giving advice or comfort to anyone, and he was not about to throw away any more of his dignity by facing Kirby back up. The only decision he had to make now, though, was where and when he should resurface. He was feeling a little upset toward Kirby, not that he'd let anyone know that. He wanted to stay down here for as long as possible, just to show him that he wasn't letting it bother him…but there were a few things that he wasn't enthusiastic about in the water. Besides the fact that he might actually be capable of drowning, the water was really dark and he had no idea what was in it…if he had even opened his eyes in the freezing cold water. Even with his boosted tolerance for cold, he didn't want to stir up the water around him that still held the heat it had sucked from his body.<p>

His decision to stay underwater for a little longer was quickly changed when he found himself in an eel's mouth. He had forgotten about the huge, quick, silent, _hungry_ eels that lurked in cave-like passages, though they normally didn't like water that was as cold as this, and they certainly didn't like cramped spaces unless they were hunting or it was around—

_Their nests; DANG IT ALL!_

After some struggling, Meta Knight managed to break free of the eel's grasp…at the cost of three-fourths of his luckily-full HP bar. The blue knight kicked his way to the surface, wishing that he had the floaty rings from Onion Ocean to cling to while he made sure he was still in one piece. He didn't want to open his mouth because his mask sealed some of the water to his face, but after a bit of struggling he assured himself that none of his belongings had been eaten. He swam over to the closest edge of the iceberg they'd been resting on and tried sticking his sword into the side of it so he could pull himself up.

On the third attempt, Bandana Dee's face appeared over the edge. "Why…are you swimming here…?"

"Can you just pull me onto the ledge?" Meta Knight asked, defeated.

Bandana Dee rolled his eyes before looking behind him. "Great King, can you fish—"

"Fish? I love fish!" Dedede leaned over the edge and grabbed the first shadowy shape in the water he could find, which was, of course, Meta Knight. Dedede's expression changed instantly when he saw what he'd caught. "What, were you asking me to fish him out? He was just too lazy to do it himself?"

Meta Knight raised a paw. "I—"

Dedede and Bandana Dee continued arguing. Meta Knight just sighed to himself as he tried to shake all the water out from his armor. "Never mind…"

"Hey GUYS!"

The king, his servant, and the knight turned toward Kirby. The pink puffball pointed to an area on one of the slightly-higher ice platforms nearby. "I'll bet there's something up there."

"I'd bet so, too," Dedede muttered. "Why else would there be a suspicious iron platform hanging up there for no reason?"

"Yeah, by a really thin-looking rope," Meta Knight muttered. "The ancients must have been _really_ good at making rope…"

Kirby noticed a Sir Kibble's blade lying to the side and popped it in his mouth. The screen flashed to a starscape for a split second as Kirby gained a yellow hat with a blade on top. He then turned to the platform, and sank into thought. "I can't get it from the waterfalls; my power won't work there…" He tiptoed around the edge of the –extremely- icy platform, looking to see how far it needed to be. Ironically enough, his original position in the center of the platform was the only one that would work. Kirby glared up at it.

"Hmph, well if it wants me to stand underneath it and do it, fine! Have it your way!"

The others stepped back as Kirby got into position to throw his boomerang. None of them noticed what would happen when the rope released. None of them saw anything wrong with the fact that Kirby usually waited for the platform to fall before proceeding.

Then something smacked the ever-analytic Meta Knight in the head._ When that platform falls, it'll land…holy NOVA!_

Too late. Kirby had already thrown his boomerang.

"Kirby, look out!" The blue knight threw himself at Kirby as the platform started to fall. Kirby's confusion quickly turned to terror as he saw the shadow descending on them. The two puffballs skidded across the icy ground…

…but not very far. Meta Knight was renowned for his _skill _at battle, not his physical strength. Most of the blow's force had worn off by the time he reached Kirby, which landed them a few inches under the nearest edge. Dedede and Bandana Dee gasped in horror at the scene unfolding. The light around the puffballs was rapidly becoming shadowed. Seconds felt like minutes, but even with time at an apparent standstill, the two puffballs could not make it out before the platform crashed into the ground with a loud clang. In its aftermath, the only sound heard was the water running in the icy cavern.

"NO!" Bandana Dee immediately dashed over to the place where he had last seen his friends, his anger evaporating, replaced by overwhelming sadness and worry. The Dee tried to lift the corner of the platform, struggling, losing his grip, grabbing it again, repeating, but he didn't have the strength to do anything to it. "Kirby! Meta Knight! Please get up!" He continued pushing at it desperately, despite the tears streaming down his face.

Dedede, who had been standing on the sidelines, simply bowed his head, tears springing to his closed eyes. He didn't want to think about what had happened to the puffballs. He didn't want to think about what life would be like if they weren't around. He didn't even want to _risk_ lifting the edge of the platform; that would only confirm his fears. Normally he would express his fears; express his feelings; SAY something…why couldn't he now?

_You fool of a king. You consider a handful of people your friends and now you let some of them die thinking that you hated them._

He couldn't let this get to him. He looked up to see Bandana Dee was still beating against the platform. Dedede walked over as quietly as he could to the young Dee and placed his hand on his head.

"Listen," he stated in a quiet, almost choked voice that was uncharacteristic of him. "I don't know if we can do anything, kid. I think we should—"

"We have to try! Don't you care about them?! _And you had the nerve to call Meta Knight heartless, you jerk!_" He promptly started sobbing and throwing himself against the platform, which did not even budge from its position. Dedede sighed and lowered his head. If such a thing was the only way to prove he cared…no. He wasn't afraid to see the results of his actions—

He was, but he would never let that get to him. Bracing himself, he took out his large hammer and put it out on the ground next to the platform. Bandana Dee gave him a look of confusion. "What's…that fo—"

Dedede grabbed the corner of the platform and, much to his surprise, actually managed to shift the iron platform towards him some. However, he winced at this action—he didn't want to hurt the puffballs anymore; the corner would simply drag across their bodies if he pulled it toward him. The king slowly shifted his hands closer and closer to the center of the platform, straining against its weight. Bandana Dee watched him with awe. When he felt he'd reached the center, he turned to Bandana Dee. "Get ready. Shove it under there quick."

Bandana Dee blinked before looking at the king's hammer on the ground. He grabbed it and nodded. "Ready, Great King."

Dedede nodded back and then, with all the strength he possessed, heaved the platform up to his shoulder level. Bandana Dee gasped upon seeing the bodies of his two friends, but a shout from Dedede snapped him back into reality long enough for him to shove the hammer underneath. Dedede tried to lower the platform as slowly as he could onto the hammer, hoping it would be strong enough to withstand the weight. For the moment, it was, and Dedede finally fell onto his bottom, gasping for breath as he lay stomach down on the floor for a few seconds. When he was done, he turned back to Bandana Dee, who was staring at the puffballs uncertainly.

The two seemed flattened, almost, which wasn't surprising considering their anatomy. However, most of their injuries seemed to be inflicted _before_ the platform crushed them. Kirby's cutter blade had just barely missed killing him and had instead inflicted a long scrape across his right side. He was somehow still powered-up, despite having taken a critical—_not_ _fatal_, the king hoped—hit. Meta Knight didn't look any better, but the king hadn't expected that much considering all his metal armor, which had shattered under pressure. Dedede avoided looking at his wings; it sent chills through him. The splintered ice had dug into both of their bodies in various places (he desperately hoped that that wasn't because of him, but he got the sinking feeling that it was…), with the surrounding ice absorbing a red tint from the quickly-freezing liquid. Neither puffball showed any signs of life.

_No…_

Would it really end like this? Could the puffballs really have met their ends in such a cold, desolate wasteland where the only creatures that cared about their death were their two friends and the hungry eels below the surface?

Bandana Dee started quaking again, and Dedede wiped a few tears from his own eyes. "Kid."

The Dee looked up at him, tears already running down his face, too. He gave no response except for a devastated stare.

_You're fooling yourself, kingie. They're dead. _

"Let's pull them out, kid. Just to see what we can do for them." The king whispered. "Don't give up hope yet. We can cry afterwards. We don't know how long my hammer will hold up."

The king and servant slowly moved the two puffballs. Since they had no place to lay them, Dedede took off his decorative belt and spread it evenly on the ground (considering that, if they had to carry the two, they wouldn't want something big and bulky like his robe). Extracting them from under the platform was a delicate task, but it was possible, and a few minutes later, the two puffballs had been laid on the king's best belt. When that task had been done, Dedede used the last of strength to yank his hammer out from underneath the platform, covering the scene of the unfortunate accident until the ice ever melted.

Bandana Dee was staring uncomfortably at the puffballs, and Dedede soon joined him. There was nothing but awkward silence for a few seconds.

"A-are they…should we…see if they're alive?" Bandana Dee asked cautiously.

Dedede took off one of his gloves (a rare occasion) and, after a bit of hesitation, placed his hand on Kirby's foot. He shuddered at the feel of his cold, torn skin, but felt around delicately, trying to see if he could feel a pulse. After closing his eyes and pausing for a while, he sighed. Whether it was of relief, disappointment, or some other emotional mix was unknown to Bandana Dee.

"Kirby's okay. And if he's okay, Meta Knight _better_ be okay or I'll sue him." Dedede hesitated, as if wondering whether or not to try taking the blue puff's pulse anyway.

"I wouldn't try it, Great King. Considering the state they're in, and considering that fact that they're…y'know…bleeding, you wouldn't want to give them some sort of infection. We should probably just get out of here. We can always come back through to check for energy spheres…"

_We should probably just get out of here…_

After briefly rinsing their paws (and hammer) off in the ice-cold water, the king and his servant were ready to move on. As Dedede put the hammer back in his robe, he wondered what would happen next. The cavern appeared to be ending soon…or at least, he hoped. They needed to find somewhere to rest, and somewhere that could fix the puffballs up as well. The cavern certainly wasn't a place like that…so leaving was the only logical thing to do.

"Bandana Dee, fight your way through so I can carry the puffballs. I'm gonna try to go slowly and heroically…whatever that means." He sighed as he picked the belt up, though it likely wasn't because of the weight. "This hero business is tougher than I thought, having to do things like this…" _And having to deal with the impacts of things like this…_

The king and the Dee stared at their comrades for a bit, both wishing that they could fix the ice and metal embedded into their bodies. Then Dedede set his gaze straight ahead. "We can't do anything ourselves. Better to leave them like that until we find someone who can help them."

With that, he turned toward the path in front of them. "Come on. Let's…go…"

* * *

><p><em>Look at those revisionsextensions. :) So much better..._

...Oh, yeah, I know only the people who have no family or friends to celebrate with will probably read this on the exact day it's relevant, but happy 4th of July anyway. Don't feel bad; you're not the only one stuck at home doing nothing…I am too.


	2. Coming to Grips

_A/N: All temperatures are in degrees Celsius._

_…__also, I realize it's taken way too long to rewrite this chapter. Bad Cos. But I've been busy with school…it's just that now that I've edited this half of the story, I'm hoping the other half will still make sense since I haven't gotten to it yet. Also, I realize that I need better titles. It's almost a NEED at this point…_

By the way, kudos to Destiny Willowleaf and the two guest reviewers. Destiny and Guest1 reviewed on the 4th of July, and the other guest pointed out an alternate way to do the puzzle that I didn't notice because I was too stubborn. -sweatdrop-

PS: I too think Dedede has a caring side. He's shown it in both the anime and the games, kinda. :) I always imagined that it would first come out a little in either Squeak Squad or Epic Yarn; he was definitely more of a team player by the time this game rolled around. He can't be soft all the time; it's just not his character…but under all his funny faces and likely-immature attempts to prove he's better than everyone, he really does care about the group in his own special way.

* * *

><p>Ribbon Dee did not get many guests. Her brother had planned to visit her today but things had changed; with the storm prediction gauges calling for heavy snow over the next two days, she had told him to come next week. It wasn't like she was a trading post or anything, so what company should she expect? It made her sad, really. She always had the spare bed made and all the housework done, because when you do all your business in the summer…well, what do you do all winter? She had taken up knitting but she'd used all her yarn, and the basket of knitted things was overflowing. The little Waddle Dee hopped onto her couch. She didn't feel like going back into her bedroom; she had cabin fever and wanted a bit of a change in scenery for—<p>

She was delusional. She had to be. But she could have sworn she heard someone knocking at the door. …Maybe her brother had come to visit her after all? Oh no; the food wouldn't be anywhere _near_ done in time!

The Waddle Dee grabbed her customary spear (in case it _wasn't_ her brother) and ran toward the door. She paused for a moment before leaning against it. "Who's there?"

A male Waddle Dee answered her. "It's us! Aw, shoot, that wasn't the right thing to say. It's—"

"Brother!" Ribbon Dee shouted, throwing open the door. Then she stopped.

In front of her was a member of her own kind wearing a blue bandana on his head. He looked slightly hesitant, perhaps slightly embarrassed, and _more_ than slightly cold. Behind him there was a large…shadowy shape huddling in the cold, holding some weird-shaped bundle. Ribbon Dee hesitated.

_Are they dangerous? Well…see what they want, and just be polite. If they're bad, just play cool and do whatever. You've got your emergency escape pack under the welcome mat._

She dipped her head to the Waddle Dee with the bandana. "Hello. My name is Ribbon Dee. What's yours?"

"Oh!" He dipped his head in return. "My name is Bandana Dee, and this is King Dedede of Dream Land. We…_are_ still in Dream Land, correct?"

"Of course," she answered, not really comprehending what the 'king' part really meant.

The figure raised its head to say something, and Ribbon Dee was finally able to see its face. "Bandana Dee, I thought we weren't going to tell them I was the king until we were inside the house?"

"Well if you're gonna be the king inside, you may as well be the king outside. That's not really the point. Listen," He turned back to Ribbon Dee. "Our friends got hurt and we need a place to stay. You're the only one we could find so far. Could we…I mean, c-could we…"

"Could you stay?" Ribbon Dee finished. "Well…"

The two gazed at her hopefully, yet preparing themselves in case she didn't agree.

Ribbon Dee thought for a moment. "Where are your friends?"

The shadowy creature—Dedede—stepped forward. Bandana Dee moved to the side as he lowered himself to show whatever he had been carrying. Ribbon Dee couldn't help but quietly gasp. "Oh—oh, I'm sorry! You can stand back up; please, come in. It's only supposed to get colder."

She felt bad that Dedede had to duck, but the cottage hadn't been built for larger guests. "Please, go to your left into the living room. I'm sorry the house is so small, but you should be able to fit in there without having to duck…Go ahead, sit in front of the fire and I'll get something for you to eat…"

* * *

><p>Everything was black.<p>

He didn't know whether his eyes were opened or closed, but he didn't want to try in case he found out that his eyes were already open and that he had gone blind or something. He was in so much pain…what had happened? All he remembered was snow and ice, and then the piercing white and blue landscape was rapidly shadowed, fading into thick blackness. He opened his mouth to cry out, but heard nothing, and his attempts to move were mostly in vain.

_It must be the cold from the cavern…_

He struggled closer into the heat source that he'd found, determined to enjoy it while he—

Wait.

_Heat? _

That was what he felt, but how it was so warm in an icy cavern was beyond him. The waterfalls seemed strangely quiet, almost to the point of complete silence. There was a new background noise, though what it was…was it a fire? How had they managed to start a fire here? Had they gotten out? How had they done that without him knowing? Maybe this was a prank or something and Dedede had just knocked him out…he hoped that another sleep-powder prank wasn't at play here, but he would rather have that than a pounding headache. He remembered an incident from earlier where Bandana Dee had knocked Meta Knight out with an icicle. Whether the blue puff even remembered the incident was another story.

Voices…somebody was talking. It sounded like Dedede and Bandana Dee. Meta Knight wasn't saying anything, but that was a common occurrence. What _wasn't _a common occurrence was hearing a female's voice reply to them. Had they gotten lost in the cavern? Maybe they were asking for directions, but…why did he hurt like this? Hm, they were probably trying to get out before he woke up for some reason…

"Kaabii?"

The puff felt a furry hand on his side that felt as if it belonged to Bandana Dee. He tried to make some sort of sound to let him know that he acknowledged his presence, but could not make his voice work properly. Instead, he briefly raised his paw on the side that Bandana Dee was and tried to kick his foot feebly. The paw rubbed his head for a few seconds in a way that Kirby would normally have found absolutely delightful. Now, though, his brain was hurting and…All he wanted to do…was sleep…and drift…into the pleasant…blackness…

* * *

><p>"So they're gonna be okay? Are you positive?"<p>

Ribbon Dee giggled. "With a little love, yes, they'll recover."

This was definitely better than being outside in a snowbank—well, Dedede and Bandana Dee thought so. While Ribbon Dee had needed some of their knowledge about puffballs (educated guesswork), she had all the medical supplies necessary to help. And while she was fixing up the puffballs, Dedede and Bandana Dee took turns between helping her and cooking. With the exception of Meta Knight's wings, both puffballs were completely treated—Ribbon Dee had needed a quick break to check the food. Bandana Dee, who had been helping with the last meal, started back to the kitchen when he saw Ribbon Dee coming down the hall. "Oh, Ribbon, do you need any—"

"I've got it, Bandana; but I'm in hurry right now. Thanks for your help with the last few meals, though."

"Are you sure—"

"Positive!"

The kitchen door slammed in Bandana Dee's face.

…Oh wait, there wasn't a kitchen door. It fit the effect Bandana Dee was feeling, though. The Waddle Dee turned around and wandered back to the living room. He had mainly hung out near the kitchen and read some books, tried on knit stuff, and helped with the last two meals so that Dedede could sleep. Why the king was so tired was beyond him, but Bandana Dee really wished he'd wake up. Ribbon Dee had been busy bandaging up the puffballs, so she hadn't gotten to sit down for a while. He got the feeling that she liked being busy for some reason, but he really wished she could sit down for a little longer to talk some and play a few games. He didn't have anything to do, and she was the only one conscious. He enjoyed the cinnamon buns, at least; and the cookies, and the meals. Snacking on the go got old after a while; Bandana Dee savored the meals he got to sit down and eat. Even something simple like their soup had tasted good—soup _always_ tasted good on cold days.

Bandana Dee walked around the couch, curious as to whether or not his friends had woken up yet. Dedede was still snoring away in the corner—not very loudly, thankfully. The fire provided enough background noise to take the edge off of his noise, so Bandana Dee decided not to say anything…for now. Instead, he walked a little closer to the puffballs. Both were still sleeping, much to his dismay. Then another thought struck him—what if they didn't wake up, at all? He'd heard of some injuries like that, or creatures' personalities changing because of blows to their heads. The Dee shuddered, staring at the puffballs more closely.

_If they wake up…no, WHEN they wake up…will…will they still remember me?_

While Bandana Dee wasn't really one to imagine worst-case scenarios, or spend any excessive time worrying over something he couldn't do anything about, his boredom left his head empty enough to do so…

* * *

><p><em>Bandana Dee heard a noise that sounded like a cross between a cry of pain and relief. But that wasn't all—it sounded like a puffball's cry. <em>Two_ puffballs' cries._

_The Waddle Dee rushed into the other room, thrilled to see his comrades waking up. "Guys! Are you awake; can you hear me?"_

_He stared at Kirby hopefully, but the puffball's return gaze looked confused. "Hi, uh…" He broke off coughing. "S…sorry…wh-what's your name?"_

_Bandana Dee stared at him in shock. "Kirby, are you serious?"_

_"__Kirby?" The pink puffball still looked confused. "Is…who's that? Me?"_

_Horrified, the Waddle Dee simply nodded, trying to form some words in his head. "I…I'll…give me a little and I'll get you something to eat."_

_"__I'm not very—ehem; sorry—hungry now."_

_The Dee's brown eyes grew larger, and he moved over to Meta Knight. "Do you remember anything?"_

_"__Any of what?" the blue puff asked with a yawn. "I'm tired and hungry; what's for dinner? What's your name? I can't remember mine, but my head hurts so I'm just gonna sleep after I eat…if you…don't mind feeding me—I need a drink..." The puffball broke off coughing._

_Bandana Dee stumbled back to the couch and leaned against it, terrified of what had just transpired…_

* * *

><p><em>On the opposite side of his thoughts, Bandana Dee imagined himself sitting in front of the puffballs for days. After a week, the snow stopped, and he and Dedede managed to brave the cold to get out of the wasteland. They then brought the puffballs to a high-tech medical facility. The Waddle Dee watched them for more than a month, living off the slop in the cafeteria and quick-food restaurants while Dedede lived off the snack machine, wondering whether they would ever recover. The info from the machines was always the same, weak vital information. As he was sitting in the chair next to them with Dedede one day, the cappy doctor came in and faced them, looking quite solemn.<em>

_"__I'm sorry gentlemen, but…they're not going to wake up. Ever."_

_All Bandana Dee could do was stare, freeze, think…what would life be like without them? Without…_

* * *

><p>The real Bandana Dee shuddered. Hopefully his thoughts were surreal as mother's soap operas. He didn't want his friends to die, and he certainly wasn't thrilled with the fantasy of a hyperactive Meta Knight—<p>

That was it. He was going to help Ribbon Dee with the soup so they could play some games. Maybe checkers. Anything to get his mind off of this; he couldn't _live_ like this…

* * *

><p>"Hey. Great King, wake up. Dinner's ready."<p>

Dedede moaned; he was still a little tired, but something smelled delicious…

"Great King! Come on, you lazy bum! I'm going to keep insulting you until you get up!"

He felt the butt end of Bandana Dee's spear poking him in the side. "A'righ, A'right, I'm comin'…"

Sleeping on the floor had been a bit hard on him, but it seemed like something a 'real hero' would do, which gave him some pride and satisfaction (mind, he didn't tell Bandana Dee—he liked carrying his 'mischief maker' card and wasn't about to become a goody two-shoes.) He hoped it wouldn't have to last _too_ long, but it wasn't like he was going to head out in the blizzard and find a better place to sleep. While he respected the need to keep the smaller creatures near the heat source, the fire was _really nice_, so he'd decided to sleep next to it in the corner. It was a surprisingly spacious corner, which was good as he disliked being in corners for long amounts of time. At first he thought that sleeping against the wall might be a little cold, but apparently the house was well-insulated and the heat from the fire sometimes made him feel a little _too_ hot…

He enjoyed the heat whenever he had to get a drink, though—whatever method the Waddle Dees used to keep their wells from freezing must have kept the water just above 0 degrees.

There weren't any blankets his size, but wearing his robe was good enough for him. They _hopefully_ wouldn't be staying any longer than a few days, so Dedede had decided not to lodge any complaints at the moment. Bandana Dee said that would be stupid, and Dedede grudgingly agreed. Besides, Dedede didn't really want to leave…there was no other place his size in the house—which was probably why he was 'excused' from cooking duty—and the food was considerably better than the castle's fare. The king sat up and rubbed his eyes.

_Kirby better not eat everything in sight when he gets up…_

He glanced at the two puffballs in front of the fireplace. They hadn't moved much; Kirby seemed a bit more responsive to stimuli than Meta Knight, however. Maybe if Kirby got up and moving again, Meta Knight would recover quicker—at least, that was what Dedede hoped. He respected Meta Knight, but one of his little personality quirks was that when he was injured, he tended to refuse medical help until he was physically forced to accept it. Dedede found this irritating. When he, _the king_, was injured, he'd ask for help. Why flat-out refuse it? Creatures weaker than the king would surely want treatment as badly, if not more, than he did. Regardless of the reasoning, that block slowed the group down, and it annoyed him. He had considered drugging Meta Knight with some form of sleeping potion when that happened, but that would mean that the largest member of the group—aka _him_—would probably be left to carry the puff. Dedede wasn't sure whether he was willing to be _that_ motivated at the moment, but hey, he might be persuaded later…if he wasn't pushed to anger first.

Dedede walked over to sit on the floor next to the little couch, surprisingly not saying anything about how the Dees got to relax on the couch when he couldn't. He might have been able to sit down on it, but it probably would have broken. He was glad that he still had a foot or two between his head and the ceiling; he hadn't gone back into any of the other rooms or the kitchen, however—just the main room. Ribbon Dee handed him his bowl of soup and he accepted it gratefully. He'd probably have to ask for a refill, but she'd made a pretty huge pot regardless. Bandana Dee had probably helped. Dedede snickered at that. He was going to tease Bandana Dee so bad for hanging out with Ribbon Dee; it made it look too much like they were a couple…

King Dedede was about halfway finished with his soup when he noticed that Ribbon Dee was ladling some soup into another bowl. "Who's that for?"

"Them." She stated, gesturing toward Kirby and Meta Knight.

"Um…are you sure? Is it—"

"Safe? Well they have to eat _something_, don't they? It's been almost a day since you've brought them here, and I don't even know the last time they've eaten." She responded, continuing with her task.

"Huh." Dedede scratched his head, or at least attempted to. "Probably not since lunch yesterday. Maybe breakfast."

* * *

><p><em>Snow. Ice. That was really all he saw. It went on forever, no matter how far he kept walking. He liked snow and ice; he knew Meta Knight loved snow and ice, but right now, he just wanted the stupid stuff to end. But there was no end.<em>

_Just then, the cavern started shaking. The ceiling collapsed on itself, somehow leaving him unscathed. When the noise had stopped, he stared up. The landscape was dark, blackened, and full of fiery volcanos. And above all that, there was a four-headed dragon, standing fearlessly on a rock. Kirby cowered, hoping it wouldn't see him. Its glowing green eyes seemed to stare past everything in its path, searching for something. The pink puff frantically glanced around, looking for cover, but there was none to be found. He turned back to where he had seen the dragon and locked eyes with it. He was unable to turn away, unable to move. What did it want with him? Why—_

The scene was cut off unexpectedly, jolted into blurriness by a starscape. He could feel that he'd swallowed something. Was he dreaming? Kirby struggled to wake up; to find out what was going on. He reached his paws in front of his face to rub his eyes, only to feel a jolting pain that made him force them open anyway.

Everything was blurry at first, but it slowly solidified to where he could see a quaint interior of a building. There was a fire in front of him, and a Waddle Dee wearing some ribbons was filling soup bowls.

"…and then when I threw it, Bandana Dee threw HIS and it struck mine right in the circular hole that was in the middle of it! So MINE was knocked horizontally while HIS hit the target!" the king roared, apparently in the middle of some story.

"Bull's-eye!" Bandana Dee cheered, snickering. Then he paused, but Kirby didn't know why because he couldn't see him. "Weren't you going to feed Kirby a little more?"

The Waddle Dee with ribbons pushed the filled bowl of soup away. "Hold on a second. I think he might be hurt too much to eat; I saw him flinch."

"He can't be hurt too much to eat!" the king commented. "Eating's practically his hobby!"

The Waddle Dee turned back to Kirby reluctantly—until she saw him gaining consciousness. "Sh. He's waking up."

Kirby heard footsteps coming over to him as the female Dee moved a little closer. Bandana Dee walked over behind the other Dee, and Dedede bent down to eye contact with him, looking comical as ever doing so. The king's face broke into a wide grin, and he spread his arms out to grab Kirby.

"Kirby! You're oka—"

_Thwack! _Bandana Dee swung the handle of his spear across Dedede's chest. The Waddle Dee raised an eyebrow (?) at the king, who moaned in response. Then he smirked. "Oh, yeah, don't maul the puffballs. Haha! I rhyme!"

Kirby managed to smile and tried to look Dedede's way, even though he was lying on his stomach. It wasn't as painful as last time; besides, Dedede looked hilarious with that goofy expression. He giggled in spite of the pain. He was about to say something, but a paw tapping his cheek made him focus back to the Waddle Dee with the ribbons.

"Aren't you hungry? Please eat," she begged, offering the bowl of soup to him. "You need some food right now."

Kirby stared at the bowl. "Can I sit up?"

"Sure!" She answered, her mood lifting again. She helped him to lean back against the pillows. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better, Kaabii," she beamed. "You all managed to get yourselves into a fine scrape, but it seems you're just as feisty as ever, eh?"

"Yeah." He still didn't feel like talking much; there was a scratchy feeling on his inside that made him want to start coughing. Maybe he'd feel better after he ate.

The Waddle Dee was about to spoon some of the soup into his mouth when he stopped her. She blinked at him, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"Can't I…eat it myself?" he asked, somewhat embarrassed.

The Dee glanced down at his paws, then back to him. "Um…I wouldn't really recommend it. Maybe tomorrow."

"Huh?" Kirby glanced at his paws. They were covered in bandages, some of which had turned red in a few places. His eyes grew wide as he noted that his feet and body had also been bandaged. He glanced back up at his friends, becoming somewhat nervous. "Um…what…_happened_ to me? You guys don't even have a scratch on you! The villain didn't get away, did they?"

Dedede flinched, while Bandana Dee managed to keep a neutral expression.

"Well, it's…kinda…probably best explained later. But we're really glad you're okay," Dedede assured him.

"Hm, thanks," Kirby said absentmindedly. "Where's Meta Knight?"

"Sleeping," Bandana Dee answered. The king yawned at this comment, which caused Bandana Dee to stare back at him. "Was that actually coincidental?"

"Yes it was. I'm gonna take a nap," Dedede said, walking off to the side.

"What—but—oh come on; you've been sleeping for hours!"

"I'm bored. I'm gonna sleep. I'm sure Kirby's tired, too. So good night."

Bandana Dee sighed, and Kirby wished he could have done the same. It was nice that they cared about him like this, but he wished he could've fed himself. He could've just inhaled it, but…no. He was mature. He had to act civilized, especially since the Waddle Dee had taken them in. Eventually he finished the soup, and the Dee put the bowl down. Normally Kirby would've asked for more, but it hurt to eat too much. Maybe he could try something small…

"Do…is there just something small I could eat? I'm just a little hungry…" he asked, somewhat timid about being overfed and hurting more.

"Of course," the female Dee answered gently. "What kind of food? I have bread, cookies, some cherries…"

In normal times, Kirby would have drooled. Now, however, he just asked for the cookies with a few cherries. The Dee with ribbons walked away to get the food, and Bandana Dee sat down on the edge of the fireplace in front of him. Kirby thought he was staring at him in relief and some other emotions, though what exactly was on the Dee's mind was beyond him. Maybe he should ask…but he had so many other questions. Which one should he ask first?

"Where are we?"

Bandana Dee blinked in surprise.

_…__Well, it was as good a start as any…_ Kirby thought.

"Well," Bandana Dee started, "We are in the cottage of the _very nice and understanding_ Ribbon Dee, who agreed to let us stay here until you two are fully recovered. By a serious stroke of luck, we stumbled up to her doorstep as the snow was getting really bad and we're staying here because we're trapped by a snowstorm and there was no way we'd ever make it anywhere else in time. Don't feel bad; she really loves company."

"What happened to me? Why did we—" Kirby stopped to cough. "Have to stop?"

Bandana Dee's face paled slightly. "You mean you don't remember?"

Kirby shook his head, but stopped when he shifted a little too much. "N-no. Was it something terrible?"

"Oh NOVA. Holy Nruffs…" Bandana Dee buried his face in his paws. "No, maybe it's for the better…what's your name?"

"Uh, Kirby," the puffball replied, puzzled. "I'm…not amnesiac. Hopefully. I remember most things…"

"And you're…okay about not being hungry?" he asked weakly.

"I just hurt when I eat. Otherwise I—ehem—would," Kirby assured him, trying not to cough.

Bandana Dee sighed in relief. "Okay, good. I…uh, I was just worried about you."

Kirby grinned, completely oblivious to Bandana Dee's earlier daydreams.

At this point, Ribbon Dee returned with the food and set it down in front of him. "There you go. Some cookies and cherries; the sweet kind of cherries, too. Do you…like them?" she asked timidly, as if she would be devastated if she provided something that he didn't like.

"Yes, thank you!" Kirby reached for a cherry, determined to do it on his own. The pain caused him to flinch, but he was satisfied when he could feed himself. He heard Ribbon Dee sigh in both concern and relief, and Bandana Dee was watching him closely. Kirby looked up at the two.

"What? I'm okay. But thanks."

Kirby picked the tray clean, mostly sucking on his food a little while he was staring at the ceiling. Ribbon Dee removed the trays and brought them back to the kitchen. When she returned, he heard her moving something, but he didn't know what. Whatever it was couldn't be of much use to him right now, anyway. He thought of asking what happened to him, but Bandana Dee seemed pretty shell-shocked right now. Maybe he could ask Meta Knight; he'd know. If he was sleeping now, hopefully he wouldn't mind being woken up later. Who knows—for all he knew, Meta Knight could already be up and around trying to 'redeem himself' for falling asleep during the day.

_I guess night-time will come soon enough…boringly._

He glanced at Bandana Dee, who was staring at a shelf to his left. There was a window next to it, which showed the snow coming down heavily.

"What're you lookin' for?" the puffball asked curiously.

The Waddle Dee pulled a box off the shelf. "Some fun. Wanna play a game?"

"Uh…sure. I'll try. Just—" he broke off coughing before giving the Dee a small smile. "…not too much talking, okay?"

* * *

><p>Trivia: Kirby's dream scene is obviously a reference to the rest of the game's plot line. Of course, it doesn't contain too obvious of spoilers since the character just cameoed. Ha, cheap Cos tactics.<p> 


	3. Realizations

A/N: The two Waddle Dees seem to be sucking all my attention up :). Meta Knight will probably be a bit OOC in this chapter, but considering that his wings have the only bones in his body, it could have been much more traumatic for him than this (and, now that I think about it, probably should have...). By the way, who can guess what things caused me to imply that MK is ice-elemental?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby: Air Ride, Kirby Super Star/Ultra, Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, Kirby of the Stars, Kirby: Squeak Squad, Kirby...

Oh! And before I forget! Shoutouts to MyImagination12, Destiny Willowleaf, another guest, and kitzykat, and everyone else who's reading the story! It looks like there are even more ways to get the Energy Sphere that I'm not aware of...stupid stubbornness!

* * *

><p>Ribbon Dee hated to move Meta Knight around too much, but it was something that had to be done. Bandana Dee had told her that Kirby would feel terrible if he figured out what had happened, and she couldn't blame him. Making a mistake and then letting your friend get hurt because of it wasn't something that perked a person's self-confidence. Yellow had told her that emotions strongly influenced their species, so Ribbon Dee was going to make sure that Kirby was happy until he absolutely had to know what had happened. Hopefully by then, he and Meta Knight would be healed up so he didn't see what damage exactly had been done.<p>

Ribbon Dee changed the bandages on his arms, cheeks, and wings as quickly as she could. He seemed to be healing up at a steady pace; he was definitely in better condition than when the group had come last night. At first, she had been hesitant about taking the blue puffball in because of his wings. She'd never treated a flying creature before and knew very little about the subject. There was more risk involved in it…after all, the bones in most creatures' wings were insanely fine and delicate and if she even slightly messed up in treating him, he might not be able to recover his flight. But her softer side had whispered to her; told her that she should at least try, so she'd ended up taking them in anyway. It wasn't like there was anybody else out here that would know. She started into the project nervously, but much to her luck, the breaks in his bones had not been the same on each wing, so she was able to piece together a treatment much better than she normally would have. She was glad that they didn't have any other bones in their bodies, though. Ribbon Dee still couldn't get over how strange the concept of…whatever their species was. She sure was glad that _she_ didn't have to worry about being a living black hole.

She also found it strange that Dedede and Bandana Dee kept staring at Meta Knight's face. She didn't really see anything surprising about it. He was the same species as Kirby; so what? She'd have to ask them later—not when Kirby was around of course, because that would bring up a subject that he shouldn't hear at the moment. With the bandaging work done, she picked up her supplies and slowly—quietly—put them back before dragging the piece of blanket Meta Knight was laying on toward the kitchen. She didn't want to move him away from the heat too much, but it would just have to do for now. She trotted into the kitchen to get some food for him, wondering if _his_ appetite would be the same as _Kirby's_. She tried to move as quickly as possible, but the setup still took about five minutes.

To her surprise, the blue puffball already seemed to be gaining consciousness when she came back out. She put her paw on his cheek, and his wings twitched as his eyes opened halfway. Ribbon Dee was puzzled. He hadn't seemed like he was going to wake up any time soon when he was in front of the fire; what had induced such a drastic change in him? She blinked before touching his cheek again. His body temperature seemed to have dropped a degree or two…maybe he didn't like the heat? She'd keep him over here to test that. She wouldn't let him get _too_ cold…but she wouldn't let him get back up to fireside temperature, either. She giggled as he blinked and looked around at her with curiosity and a hint of fear. Ribbon Dee put her hand on his head, and he shivered slightly. "It's okay. Your friends and I are here in a nice warm place. Do you want some food?"

He stared at her for a moment, as if he wasn't sure what to say before he started to visibly quake. Ribbon Dee stared at him with a quizzical expression. Did he talk at all? Or was it just too painful? The puffball reached his paw toward his face, but immediately flinched and let it drop to the floor. Ribbon Dee sat down next to him and rubbed the top of his head in the way she had done to Kirby, hoping to make him a bit more relaxed. At first, he seemed mistrustful of the action, but eventually he closed his eyes and let himself enjoy it. The two sat there for a while before she finally stopped. Ribbon Dee had to keep from laughing when the blue puff opened his eyes halfway and gave her a slightly disoriented look; he probably wondered why she'd stopped. That thought _did_ make her start giggling, but she quickly hid it and reached for a tray of food. "Now that you're feeling better, did you want some food?"

He blinked, as if he had forgotten that that was the question she had originally asked. He attempted to nod, but like Kirby, stopped when he had moved too much. It took him a little longer to verbally state his answer, but by then Ribbon Dee had already shoved the tray of food in front of him. "Let me guess, you want to try and eat it with no help, right?"

"Y…yes, thank you." With all the strength he possessed, he managed to push himself into a sitting position against the wall. Ribbon Dee was glad that she had chosen to drag him against the kitchen wall, but it had its cons as well, mainly because she had temporarily forgotten that he had wings. She quickly slapped her paw over his mouth as his wings came into rough contact with the wall; his friends had told her that he had a pretty good pain tolerance but that didn't mean _he_ would remember that. Once the original shock died off, she slowly took her paw off his mouth. "Shhh…you could've asked me for help. Did you forget you were hurt?" The blue puffball stared at the rug, cheeks burning in embarrassment. "Don't feel bad about asking for help. I told your friends that I would take care of you two and that's what I want to do, so let me _do_ that for Nova's sake!"

Meta Knight seemed a little surprised at her sudden forcefulness, and quickly started to reach for a cookie so he wouldn't have to respond to her statement. It caused him quite a bit of discomfort, but his pride would hurt more if he asked to move the tray closer. Luckily for him, Ribbon Dee seemed to be a mind reader that day so she pushed it closer anyway. The blue puffball was a bit unsure of himself around the Waddle Dee. She was nice and respected him even though he was in a weak situation and he looked like a little kid. That confused him. How could she be so happy around him when he was being a burden to her? He was also embarrassed about how badly he'd messed up talking with her; he wasn't used to being in this situation and he couldn't pin down what she thought of him. And that drove him crazy.

And…where were the others? He couldn't remember exactly what had happened, but no matter what, he wasn't going to ask. That would make him look dumber than he already thought he was, and he hated looked dumb. Nobody would take him seriously, something he had a not-so-small complex about. He unconsciously twitched his wings at that, making them hit the wall again. He thought he was in the clear because nobody would seem him flinching under his mask-but then he remembered that he didn't have his mask on; _dangit_. When he opened his eyes, he saw Ribbon Dee standing in front of him with a concerned look plastered across her face. "Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"You need to be more careful." She scolded. "The bones in your wings are very delicate and if they don't set properly, you may as well forget flying again. Let me get some pillows for you to lean on."

Before Meta Knight could even protest, she had dashed off to get some. When he was sure the Waddle Dee was out of sight, he rotated his face as far up his body as he could without causing too much pain to himself. He knew he probably looked utterly strange doing this, but he had no other way to tell the extent of the damage to his wings.

Things weren't looking good; even though Ribbon Dee had wrapped the bandages pretty tight, he'd already done something to mess them up and part of his left wing was bent some. He wished he knew at least something about the medical field, but his knowledge was only basic, meaning that he'd have to leave everything to Ribbon Dee if he hoped to fly again. If he couldn't fly, Meta Knight was sure that life would be much more terrible. His wings were the only thing that proved that he was older than Kirby. Not to mention that he loved going at high speeds and it wasn't exactly like he was going to be seen flying around on a warpstar. He couldn't help but wonder how long it would take for them to heal—if they would even heal perfectly at all. A feeling of panic rose up inside him and spun around like a thin metal cooking bowl on a grease-slicked countertop. That panic transferred to the rest of his body in spite of himself, and soon he found himself shaking in fear. He'd never realized how much he'd come to rely on flying until now…heck, even his moveset would be cut, and he wouldn't be able to go airborne in battle outside of his high jumping abilities. Imagining life without flying…it just _wasn't fun_…Meta Knight didn't notice, but his body had gone limp and his wings were drooping. His face had even slid back down to its normal position.

_You might not be able to fly again…ever…_

His eyes slid closed. He had messed up so badly somehow, and now he was probably going to pay the price for it…

"Meta Knight? What's _wrong_?"

_Oh no. __Is that Ribbon Dee?_ He opened his eyes and moaned quietly. _No, it's Bandana Dee. __Oh, shoot…_

"Ummm…"

Bandana Dee sat down in front of him. "Come on, tell me. It isn't like anyone's listening. We're friends. I swear by the pact between our species that I won't speak of it unless you want me to."

The blue puffball took a deep breath before halfheartedly grabbing a pawful of cherries and shoving them into his mouth. He swallowed them all at once, and seemed to magically recompose himself-one of the perks of the puffball species. "Oh, nothing. Where'd Ribbon Dee go?"

"Oh, she's off taking a break. Even though she's cooking. I wanted to help, but she insisted that I rest and tell you that she'd bring you some pillows as soon as she was finished. So I figured I'd see how _you_ were doing." He gave him a suspicious look. "Pretty good, or pretty bad?"

"You don't give me much middle ground, do you?" Meta Knight grumbled as picked up a bigger pawful of cherries than last time and, again, swallowed all of them at once (Now his instincts were just getting _annoying_). "Well, I'm doing pretty swell for acknowledging the fact that I might be _permanently grounded_…"

Bandana Dee gave him a sympathetic look. "I understand your feelings on that, Meta Knight…but you know, Ribbon Dee knows about such things. Besides, the design of your wings is relatively simple. As long as you follow her directions, you should be fine. Be lucky your species heals so quickly."

"Yeah, I guess I should." The bowl of cherries was almost completely gone now. "It's…just something I couldn't help but think about, you know?" He dumped the last of the cherries in his mouth directly from the bowl, not spilling a single one even though he was injured. He probably would have liked to think it was because he was getting his strength back, but it was really just because the bowl was made of thin plastic. Ah well, he was sure he'd be fine soon enough.

"Where'd the others go?" He asked as soon as he'd swallowed the cherries. Bandana Dee gave him a wary glance.

"Do…you remember what happened to you?"

Meta Knight paused. There was no way he was gonna look out-of-the-loop about this. Time for some mind games. "For the most part, yes." He answered vaguely. Bandana Dee sighed.

"I'm not sure whether that's good or bad. I mean, I know Kirby will definitely take it as his fault, but…I don't know about you. Do you think it's your fault? And will you give me a straight-out answer, or will I have to pry it out of you?"

The blue puffball stopped to think. Again. "I'm still trying to figure that out myself, but I'll let you know the answer when I do." _And when I find out what happened._

Bandana Dee gave him a flat look. "Well _you_ were the one who was trying to help. Kirby will take it as his fault because he got angry at you and then you got hurt for trying to help him after that. By the way, exactly how much of the event is 'the most part'?"

"Everything except the ending," He stated casually, not missing a beat. He was really trying to resist eating some more food, but chocolate cookies…with peanut butter…no…he mustn't…ah, what the heck. "Mind informing me?"

"There isn't much I can say except that you two got crushed under an iron platform. That's when you probably blacked out, 'cause when else would you have been knocked out?"

"Then how did we get here?" Meta Knight pressed, grabbing about five more cookies while he was at it.

Bandana Dee rolled his eyes. "Dedede 'sacrificed' his best belt and after we dug you two out from under the platform—mainly Dedede did that, so I won't complain—we laid you two out on it like a stretcher and Dedede carried you until we found Ribbon Dee's house. Then she let us in and fed us and fixed you up and we've been here ever since. The end."

"How long was 'ever since'?"

"What is this, an interrogation mission?" Bandana Dee muttered under his breath, making Meta Knight smirk. "Well we got here last night. And you two have been asleep since then. So has Dedede, for the most part. I stayed up, of course, because I'm responsible."

Meta Knight could tell that that wasn't the only reason he'd stayed up, but he was too surprised at another fact to care. "I was out for a whole _day_?"

It was Bandana Dee's turn to smirk now. "Yup, longer than that if you're counting the last two hours. Even Kirby woke up before you."

Bandana Dee chuckled at seeing Meta Knight's irritated face, and reached over to grab something off the tray. His paw felt nothing but metal. He glanced over to see that it was completely empty. He looked back over to Meta Knight, who was rubbing his burning cheeks in embarrassment (making sure to avoid the bandages, of course). "Um…whoopsies?"

"It's okay," he sighed, "I'm sure Ribbon Dee is making some more…"

* * *

><p>Kirby was seriously bored.<p>

Despite the fact that most of his injuries (except for the long gash on his right side) were minor scrapes, the others had insisted that he stay sitting, lest they duct-tape his feet to the floor. The night seemed to drag on, even though the others were talking about maybe playing a board game or something later. They weren't all joining in on comedy at once, but they were still attempting it. It was _all_ funny, really, especially when they'd brought up a vacation they'd taken (but oh Nova, that was so embarrassing for them all) or when Dedede had tried to see how far into his head he could roll his eyes ("They're stuck, dangit, they're stuck!"). But he didn't like it when people hid stuff from him. It was usually stuff he didn't want to be reminded of…but Kirby had a responsibility as a hero, and he took that seriously. If he made a mistake, he wanted to make up for it. Even if it wasn't _entirely_ his fault, he still wanted to do something to help…what kind of hero would he be if he didn't help others with their problems? And it wasn't as funny without Meta Knight; the whole vacation topic would've been a heck of a lot more laughable if Kirby was able to remind him of the time he'd tricked the blue puffball into doing something…very…not intelligent…

Kirby sighed, attracting Dedede's attention. "Hey Kirby, what's wrong?"

"Well, I just kinda wanted to talk to Meta Knight...it isn't the same group without him around..."

"Eh, don't worry about it Kirby. It's no fault of yours. He's probably just tired. We should be pumping him full of sugar all the time so he should get up faster, though."

"No problem there," Bandana Dee grumbled. "He's already eaten a whole tray of cookies along with countless other snacks. He stopped now, but I think it's just because he didn't want to appear greedy."

Kirby could sympathize with Meta Knight on that. Eating made him sleepy, and the food was just so good that you'd be crazy to _not_ eat it.

"What cookies? Those weren't the chocolate and peanut butter ones, were they?" Dedede asked worriedly. Bandana Dee nodded.

"That little thief!" The king screamed. "That conniving freak! How could he eat _all_ of them?! How could he, Bandana Dee, how could he…" He sank to the floor. Bandana Dee gave him another flat look. "Great King."

"Yes?" he moaned.

"Ribbon Dee made three batches of them."

"Oh, _glorious_ day!" Dedede hugged Bandana Dee, then lifted him up off the floor and spun around. Bandana Dee shouted in protest, but was ignored. Kirby snickered in spite of himself. He really shouldn't worry about Meta Knight right now…after all, if he had eaten an entire batch of cookies, he was obviously alive and well; he probably just wanted some peace and quiet… With the worry dispelled, Kirby finally relaxed for that evening and outright laughed at the king and his servant. Everything was going to be _fine_…

"Help meeeeeeee!"

Well, for the most part. "Dedede, let the poor guy go."

"Oh, so _you're_ gonna be a cookie hog too. Fine! Have it your way!" Dedede dropped Bandana Dee in front of the fire. "Maybe next time, I'll just volunteer to help in the kitchen! Then _I'll_ get all the food!"

"You already tried that once, Dedede, remember?" Kirby stated slyly.

"You heroes don't let anybody forget _anything_, do you?"

"Occasionally, but you had to bring up the subject of stealing food." Kirby shrugged. "But personally, I want first dibs anyway."

* * *

><p>Anybody who read this the first time will probably noticed how much I touched this chapter and the last one up; it's much less dramatic and down-to-earth. Finally nailed it! But...I'm not so sure if making Meta Knight a bit nervous about not having his mask at first was a good idea. I mean, that's <em>probably<em> how he'd feel, but in the hidden staff credits of Kirby Super Star Ultra, he took his mask off _willingly_...


	4. Healing and Forgetting

A/N: At the time I wrote and uploaded this, it was almost midnight, but (hopefully) it still sounds sane. Not bad for the first chaptered fic I've finished to date.

I know I didn't really give anyone enough time to review, but thanks to MyImagination12 and Destiny Willowleaf, who've tried to review every single chapter and managed to get in a review before I published this. :D Thanks, you two, and everyone else who read, reviewed, and all that good stuff.

**Disclaimer**:

Kirby Crew: Did you think that the wacko who wrote this story owns any characters by Nintendo?

Ribbon Dee: ...don't even go there. The writer is halfway to thinking that I'm a canon character at this point.

* * *

><p>Dedede stretched, utterly exhausted from the last board game. It was about midnight, if not later. "Well, I'm going to bed. Goodnight."<p>

"Goodnight." The others chorused, 'others' being the two Waddle Dees. Kirby and Meta Knight had drifted into a state of half-sleep, so the non-puffballs had tried to be as quiet as possible until they felt tired enough to go to bed. That moment was now. Dedede and Bandana Dee started to goof off with each other, seeing who could push each other over first, but—

"Guys, go to bed!" Ribbon Dee commanded.

"Yes, ma'am…"

Bandana Dee and Ribbon Dee waddled off (oh, what a bad pun…) to the bedrooms in the back, and Dedede dragged himself over to the corner by the fireplace. The fire itself was dying down, flickering in the semi-darkness. The only source of light was a small electric tea light perched over the fireplace. Eventually, Dedede fell into a state of mostly-asleepness, and the cottage was consumed by silence…

Well, for a little while. Kirby blinked his eyes open. Had everyone gone to bed? Then he could get up for a little while and talk to Meta Knight.

When Kirby was sure that everyone had gone to bed, he slowly—carefully—got up off his seat and eased himself into a standing position. He looked around to see where Meta Knight was. He noted that his friend was propped up against the wall connected to the kitchen. His eyes were glowing slightly, meaning that he was still halfway conscious. Kirby dropped into a crawl (not too hard when your body shape is a circle) and proceeded to quietly and painfully shuffle over to his friend. He breathed a sigh of relief when he was almost there; no one had heard him so far. The pink puff put his paw down on the floor—only to find out that it squeaked. He froze as Dedede stopped snoring, but relaxed when he heard him roll over. He noticed Meta Knight had woken up a bit more and was staring at him questionably. "Kirby? What are you _doing_?" he whispered.

"I…I wanted to talk to you and make sure you were okay. Is that bad?"

Meta Knight sighed. "No, I guess not. But if any of the others wake up, you're in big trouble."

"Why?" Kirby crawled over so that he was almost next to Meta Knight. "Why—"

Outside the window on the adjacent wall, some clouds in front of the moon rolled away, letting the moonlight stream through the window. The light covered the puffballs in an almost eerie glow, making them appear somewhat silvery. Each one took in the other's injuries. Neither wanted to break the silence first.

Finally, Kirby managed to form some words. "What…what _happened_ to you?"

"Same thing that happened to you," Meta Knight stated casually. "It's just worse for me because I was wearing armor. And I have wings."

Kirby flinched; the blue puffball looked pretty beaten up regardless. "Do you know what happened to us? The others don't want to tell me…And they didn't tell me what happened to you, either! Why are they keeping secrets from me? Why did they-"

"Kirby." Meta Knight covered the pink puff's mouth with his paw. "You're borderline shouting, here."

"Sorry."

"They just don't want to upset you, Kirby. Bear with it. They'll tell you later."

"Why can't you?"

Meta Knight was silent, desperately hoping that Kirby didn't notice the trouble he was having trying to come up with a halfway intelligent reply.

"Why? Why is everyone keeping secrets from me?" Kirby was getting loud and frustrated again, causing Meta Knight to flinch.

"L-listen, don't think that, they just don't want your feelings to be hurt! We're going back to how we ended up in this situation in the first place!" Meta Knight tried to flick his wings higher for an intimidation factor, but since they were in a corner, both hit the wall, and he quickly slapped his paws against his mouth. He tried to hide the pain and almost succeeded, but Kirby noticed anyway. The pink puff scooted closer to his friend with an apologetic look and put a paw on his arm in a comforting manner. Meta Knight's eyes blinked open very quickly, and he stared at Kirby in confusion. His milky white eyes combined with the bluish-silver moonlight reminded him of something.

_Something_…

The scene of their mishaps in the cave came rushing back to him all at once, and he clutched his head and moaned quietly in discomfort. His head was spinning and hurting at the same time and he just wanted it to stop…

He was stilled a bit when he felt a paw on top of his head. He grinned for a few seconds; he was glad Meta Knight wasn't angry at him after all. When he'd finally regained control of himself and the pain started ebbing away, he rotated back to face his friend, who was smiling at him softly. "You okay now?"

"Y…yes, I am. Thanks." A grin flickered across Kirby's face before vanishing suddenly. "…Meta Knight?"

"Hm?"

"What happened in the cave…did you remember too?"

The blue puff was silent for a moment before turning to face the moonlight. Kirby followed suit, waiting for a reply.

"…After Bandana Dee filled me in enough…yes…"

Guilt washed over Kirby and he let out a small sigh. "I-I'm sorry, Meta Knight. Really, I am. I don't know what would make me do something like that…I _don'tlike_ being angry like that…"

"Hey. It's okay, Kirby. You're my friend, and so is everyone else. We can forgive you."

"That doesn't mean you'll forget…" Kirby looked downcast. "I wouldn't blame you if you couldn't think of me the same way again."

"Kirby, chill. It's no problem." Meta Knight put his paw back on Kirby's head. "You're starting to sound like me, the way you're over-obsessing about it. You must've picked up on my outburst from earlier."

Kirby looked at his friend quizzically. "About what?"

"Oh, you know my problems with flying and all that," He stated awkwardly as he slowly moved his wings down the wall a little bit. Kirby finally seemed to comprehend what that really meant, and it crushed him inside.

"I-I-I-I'm s-sorry…it's just…" Kirby started crying softly as he leaned against his friend. Meta Knight simply waited, not sure what to do. Two or three minutes later, Kirby had recomposed himself. "Um…sorry…"

"No, that's okay…what did you want to say?"

"I wanted to say I'm sorry again. Just…I know that I'll feel terrible if you can't fly again, and I already feel pretty bad now…Nova, you must hate me…how can you be so calm around me?"

Meta Knight thought for a moment. "'Cause you're my friend, Kirby." He extended a paw to the pink puff and pulled him into a standing position using what little strength he had. "And friends help friends, which is why I tried to help you."

Kirby paused for a little while before blinking and staring at Meta Knight with a determined look on his face. It wasn't like Meta Knight to say something like that in such a dead-honest way unless he slipped up or trusted you enough not to tell. "…Thanks. I needed that."

"It's the least I could do. You've done the same for me. We're in on this 'heroes of the universe' thing together." The blue puffball suddenly yawned, and pushed his paws out in front of him a little. "And this 'heroes of the universe' thing is tiring me out. I'm going to bed, Kirby. 'Night."

"'Night…"

Kirby started to crawl away, and Meta Knight let his face slide down a little as he leaned back against the pillows.

"Hey Meta Knight?"

The aforementioned puffball blinked sleepily at Kirby. His pink friend gave him a smile.

"Thanks."

Meta Knight smiled back before drifting off to sleep in the moonlight…

…And in the corner, Dedede quickly shut his eyes so that he wouldn't be caught when Kirby came over…

* * *

><p>Ribbon Dee and Bandana Dee unflattened themselves from the kitchen wall.<p>

"Well Bandana Dee, looks like they solved their problems themselves. Let's just treat everything casually. It'll all have blown over by the morning…"

The two Waddle Dees were about to walk back to the spare bedrooms when they turned to the living room.

It was an almost magical scene, in a way. King Dedede was sleeping in one corner; the wood basket sitting in the other. Kirby was sitting in a nest of blankets by the fire, breathing quietly. Meta Knight was splayed out against the pillows in his corner by the kitchen, with just a small amount of chocolate smeared on his arm from some unknown dessert that evening (most likely the third batch of cookies, which had 'mysteriously disappeared'). The remaining coals and wood chips left in the fire glowed softly. And silvery moonlight streamed in the windows, covering everything in its peaceful glow. Board games surrounded the area around the couch, and the only thing left empty in the room was the furry rug behind the couch.

Bandana Dee and Ribbon Dee stared into each other's eyes before nodding. Slowly, quietly, they headed back to the spare bedroom before they re-emerged with some extra blankets. The pair of Waddle Dees made themselves comfortable on the rug before snuggling into their blankets and going to sleep.

And now that everyone was present, and now that the moonlight beamed brighter than ever, it truly was a magical scene.

* * *

><p>...This chapter was somewhat shorter than the first, but I planned it that way from the start; hope it was the right decision. Either way, I'll have plenty more chances to redeem myself (as you can tell, I've already gone back and touched it up). It's just that the demon beast of perfectionism is something that keeps torturing me, which is a major stopping point for my stories. Ah well. -sigh- I like the way I ended this, at least. It could've been better, but it gave me a fuzzy feeling. :) I've got more 'Return to Dream Land' fics soon (hopefully) which are a bit more involved with the characters from that game. Either way, I had an awesome time writing this!<p>

Chow!


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